None.
Load bearing stands, especially suitable for Christmas trees, and the like, have long been known. One of the principal problems in the fabrication of such stands has been that of producing the strongest possible stand, from a load support viewpoint, in the simplest and cheapest manner. Heretofore, stands made using stamped, sheet metal components were particularly common.
More recently, stands fabricated of molded plastic have become commercially significant. As a constructional material, plastic has much different properties from sheet metal, but usually the cheaper plastics have lower strength than, say, sheet steel. On the other hand, complex shapes can be produced more easily, sometimes in a singe forming operation, using a thermoplastic.
Molded plastic stands heretofore have not always been strong, and frequently have been too expensive for the popular markets. Also, most Christmas tree stands require multiple components to arrive at a stable stand for an invariably top-heavy tree trunk, and further to provide a water reservoir from which the tree trunk can draw needed moisture.
The load bearing stand of Sullivan U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,733 (January/1975) has a shallow base and a plurality of demountable legs, such that the legs interlock and cooperate with the base member to permit the assembled stand to support a relatively far greater weight.
The tree stand of Ascher U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,096 (June/1979) discloses a central, disc-shaped portion, which interlocks vertically and horizontally with a plurality of radiating tapered legs, plus requiring the molding of components from thermoplastic resin materials, and further including complex tongue and groove arrangements for leg and base assemblies;
The stand of Brauckhe U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,461 (May/1991) includes an upright tubular portion adapted to receive the tree stump, and with at least three support legs being slot-joined to the tubular portion. Also needed are upper and lower sets of circumferentially spaced, threaded fasteners disposed on two spaced apart, horizontal planes. The stand is produced in the form of a die cast of injection molded main body necessarily with separately molded or die cast sets of support legs.
Complicated mold configurations, with tight tolerances are needed for facile assembly of components, in each of the aforedescribed tree stands.
The art continues to seek new and improved constructions and techniques adapted for the manufacture of lightweight, strong economical plastic stands.
It should be apparent that the operable stands of the exemplified patents call for plural parts, fastener accessories, and inescapably careful user assembly, in order to yield a useful stand that will not be toppable with a tree load imposed upon it.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a stable, load bearing stand, which is well adapted for Christmas tree mounting and moisture maintenance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a load bearing stand as an integral article needing no metal accessories beyond the one mounting pin, and avoiding the chore of ensuring proper assembly by the user before tree mounting.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a single-piece tree stand having an adequately heavy base and a reservoir for tree moisturizing.
A yet further object of the invention is to provide a stand with an underside surface adapted to provide for added frictional engagement with the support platform.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following specification, accompanying drawings, and appended claims.
A very strong, very stable, and non-assembly tree stand is provided for Christmas trees, and the like, which stand is so configured that it increases its stability in relation to the load applied to the stand in the form of a tree decorations. The stand also includes a central hub, or conical disc-shaped body portion which is made together with a mounting pin to form a rigid support means a one-piece, molded body with the upper surface thereof, having a centrally defined, bowl-shaped depression (recessed) encompassed with an uppermost circular rim; an upstanding rigid pin anchored substantially centrally of the depression and being adapted to receive the lower end of a trunk, and which is ensconceable thereupon; the sidewalls of the body extending radially outward from the circular rim thereof to a peripheral portion of the lower surface thereof, thus presenting an external truncated conical skirt; a generally planar, bottom plate located centrally of, and integral with, the stand lower surface, the plate being adapted to make frictional contact with an underlying platform, and the bottom plate being further provided with a plurality of diagonally-oriented generally linear, ribs that enhance the degree of frictional contact between the stand lower surface and the underlying platform.